Accessibility Standards in Procurement are essential to ensure all purchased products and services are usable by individuals with disabilities, to improve user experience, and comply with legal requirements. Below are some resources available to the SUNY Cobleskill community to ensure requested products align with our long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Use the provided Framework to gauge the potential impact on SUNY Cobleskill of a requested product or service accessibility.
AccessibilityImpactFramework.xlsx
Prior to requesting assistance from Business and Fiscal Affairs and Information Technology Services, be sure to collect an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) verifying EIT accessibility conformance when working with a vendor to obtain a product or service.
Vendors should provide a copy of their VPAT using the most updated template which can be found at the link below. A third-party tested ACR/VPAT is strongly preferred and should be dated within the last 12 months.
https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat
High Impact EIT products and services should be evaluated by the Business and Fiscal Affairs Office in conjunction with Information Technology Services. Be prepared to complete the Equally Effective Alternate Access Plan for non-conforming EIT.
EquallyEffectiveAlternateAccessPlan_Template.docx
If you intend to purchase a product or service that does not conform to accessibility standards, you must obtain an Accessibility Roadmap from the vendor. This document should address all accessibility gaps, include timelines by which these gaps will be remediated, as well as provide recommendations for interim workarounds. This is also a good time to request the vendor completed the Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT).
https://www.educause.edu/higher-education-community-vendor-assessment-toolkit
The work doesn't end once the product or service has been purchased. Campus individuals need to check in with their vendors on accessibility status and improvements. We suggest setting an annual calendar date to check in with your vendor contacts.
VendorAccessibilityCheckForm.docx
SUNY has also provided a notice to vendors providing digital resources which can be viewed at the link below.
https://www.suny.edu/meansbusiness/procurementpp/digital-resources/